Not So Good Friday

I mentioned in my previous post that our Good Friday this Easter break was accompanied by its own set of challenges. Well, now I have gotten past the worst of it, I can post about what happened.

On Friday morning, I went up to the coops to let my chickens out, and to fetch my Australorp pullet so that I could get off to an early start with her training for the show bench. I went into the coop and did my usual head count, and short period of observation of the hens which I do every morning in order to ensure everyone is present and in good health.

Right away, I noticed that something was 'off' about the Australorp. She stood off in a corner, alone and had the dreaded 'downward tail and ruffled appearance' of an unwell chicken. I let the other hens out to forage, released the rooster from his nightbox and then picked up the pullet, who submitted, unresisting to being handled (another red flag) and carried her down to the patio where her training pen was set up.

I set her on the table where her pen was, and commenced to gently examine her, prodding and feeling all over for any sign of injury or disease. My heart sank at the discovery I made.

I will be placing the rest of this post behind a cut as some of the photographs are somewhat graphic.

Exploding Chicken

The following video is a demonstration of what I like to call the "Exploding Chicken Routine" Note: No actual chickens were harmed in the making of this film.



The chicken doing the 'exploding' is Nosie Rosie, my ISA Brown hen. She had just had a lovely dustbathe in the chicken coop and then came outside to shake it all out. She looks a little bit bedraggled at the moment because she is moulting.